Edward Carter

Husband of Elizabeth (Long) Carter — married 14 Feb 1677 in Holy Trinity Minories, Middlesex, England

Died Nov 1682 in Edmonton, Middlesex, England

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Biography

Edward Carter is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society

Edward Carter was a Virginia colonist.

"Edward Carter^[1] served on the governor’s Council during the early years of Sir William Berkeley‘s second term as governor of Virginia. Carter settled in Virginia sometime in the 1640s or 1650s. He owned three plantations in Nansemond County, where voters elected him to the House of Burgesses in 1658.^[2] Within a year of serving in the House he was selected to become a member of the governor’s Council.^[3] About 1668 he returned permanently to England and became involved with trading to and from Virginia." ^[4]

Edward Carter's parentage has not yet been determined, although he apparently had connections with Hertfordshire.

Edward Carter married twice, the first time possibly before he sailed to Virginia. According to his Will, ^[5] his first wife was named Anne and he had a daughter Anne Place, both of whom were buried in the church of St Dunstan in the East, where he requested his own body to lie. As this daughter must have been married, she would not have been of marriagable age if born after his return to England in 1668. The marriage appears to have produced no more children. Anne Carter died in 1676, about eight years after Edward's return from Virginia. She was buried on 26 October at St Dunstan in the East. ^[6]

Edward Carter married again soon afterward, on 14 February 1677, at the church of the Holy Trinity, Minories, to Elizabeth Long. ^[7] He was described as a widdower of St Margaret Pattens church, she as a spinster of Edmonton, Middlesex, where the family would reside. This marriage produced three children in rapid succession:

Elizabeth - bp. 3 December 1678 at Saint Dionis Blackchurch ^{[8] [9]}

Anne - bp. 8 November 1681 at St Dionis Blackchurch - her father named as "Colonel" Edward Carter. ^[10][11]

Edward - bp. 12 September 1682 at the church of All Saints, Edmonton. ^[12]

Edward Carter died at Edmonton shortly after his son's birth, in November 1682. As he requested in his Will,^[5] he was buried, as Col Edward Carter, at the Church of St. Dunstan's in the East in London, on 13 November. ^[13] Edward named three minor children in his Will, and made his wife, Elizabeth, Executrix. In 1685 his widow named John Purvis, a noted London sea captain and publisher of one of the earliest volumes of Virginia laws, as her attorney in fact to dispose of some of the Virginia and Maryland properties. He sold one of the Lancaster County plantations in 1686. Four years later, in her capacity of executrix, Elizabeth Carter patented 764 acres of land in Nansemond County.

Research Notes:

Researchers have speculated that this Edward Carter might be younger son of Robert Carter of Hatfield, whose Will, dated 1624 and proved 8 June 1632, lists a younger son Edward. ^{[14] [15]} However, the Will of that Edward's brother, Francis Carter DD, states that his brother Edward was deceased by 1635. ^[16]

Records have suggested that Edward's first wife might have been an Anne Loper of Essex, who married an Edward Carter of Hertfordshire in May 1631; she was 24 and he was 28. ^[17] However the designation of Edward Carter as a "yeoman" must raise doubts about this identification, as he ought more likely to have been styled "Gentleman". Given the very large number of Edward Carters, it is not possible to be confident about the identification of this marriage.

Some records claim that an Edward Carter, son of Edward and Elizabeth, died and was buried at St Martin Vintry on 2 March 1682/3, shortly after his father's death. ^[18] However, the records show that another family of the same name had baptised other children at that parish, and the dead child must have belonged to that unidentified family. The death date of Edward Carter, son of this Edward Carter of Edmonton Middlesex, is not known.

Will of Edward Carter

EDWARD CARTER of Edmonton, Middx, Esquire, 18 October 1682, proved 29 November 1682. My body to be interred in the parish church of St. Dunstan's in the East in London, in the middle aisle under the stone laid for my daughter Anne Place, and as near to the grave of my former wife Mrs. Anne Carter, buried there, as conveniently may be.

I give all my messuages, land and tenements in Edmonton and my third part (the whole in three parts to be divided) of and in all those messuages, tenements, lands and hereditaments in Chalfont St Peters, Bucks, and all other my messuages, lands, tenements &c. whatever within the Kingdom of England and all that my Plantation in Virginia called Brice's Plantation, lying on the North side of Rappahannock River, now in the possession of my Agents, assigns or overseers there, with all the stock, servants, negroes, housing, buildings, edifices, materials, implements, utensils, goods and chattels whatsoever belonging to or used with, in or upon the said Plantation, and my other Plantation in Virginia, called Monasco Plantation, lying also on the North side of the said river &c., to my son Edward Carter, and the heirs of his body; remainder thereof to my eldest daughter Elizabeth Carter, and the heirs of her body; remainder to my daughter Anne Carter and the heirs of her body; and for want of such heirs to my wife Elizabeth Carter and her heirs for ever. (Provision made in case wife should sell these plantations.)

And I do here make it my desire to my said dear wife that she will not sell or dispose of the said plantations, stock or goods unless she finds urgent occasion for so doing. And I make my said wife guardian to all my said children, Edward, Elizabeth and Anne Carter, until they severally attain their respective ages of twenty and one years, she to maintain, bring up, educate and instruct my said children in the fear of God and in a decent, suitable manner agreeable to their respective fortunes.

As to my other lands in Virginia and my land in Maryland I give and bequeath the same as follows; my tract of dividend of land in the County of Upper Norfolk in Virginia, in Bennett's Creek, in Nansemond River, where I formerly lived and my other tract in the said County, at or near the head of the said Creek, containing about five hundred acres, and my other tract, near the mouth of the Nansemond River, formerly in the occupation of Coll. Thomas Busbidge, together with another tract of dividend in the Province of Maryland, called Weston, part whereof was lately in the occupation of Wm Salisbury deceased, be sold by my executrix for the payment of my debts and the better maintenance and education of my said children.

All the residue of my estate shall be put out at interest and improved for the benefit and advantage of my said two daughters, Elizabeth and Anne Carter. My wife to be executrix. Cottle, 128. ^[19]

Sources

1. ↑ Carter, Edward - A1405; Upper Norfolk Co.: 1658-59 (Burgess).
2. ↑ New River Notes, Colonial Virginia Register Note: Although the name of Upper Norfolk County was changed to Nansemond County in 1645, Nansemond County is still called Upper Norfolk County on the Lists of Burgesses from 1657-1660.
3. ↑ Stanard, William G. and Mary Newton Stanard. The Colonial Virginia Register.Albany, N. Y.: Joel Munsell's Sons, Publishers. 1902. Pages 38, 74
4. ↑ https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/carter-edward-d-by-1682/
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Will: "England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858"
   The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 371
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry au Record 5111 #752141 (accessed 14 February 2023)
   Will of Edrus Carter, granted probate on 29 Nov 1682. Died about 1682 in Edmonton, Middlesex, England.
6. ↑ Burial Register: City of London/ St Dunstan in the East/ 1676-1766 Ancestry Image
7. ↑ Register of Holy Trinity: City of London/ Holy Trinity, Minories/ 1676-1683 Ancestry Image]
8. ↑ Register: City of London/ St Dionis Backchurch/ 1538-1737 Ancestry Image
9. ↑ London Baptisms FindMyPast
10. ↑ Register: City of London/ St Dionis Backchurch/ 1538-1737 Ancestry Image
11. ↑ London Baptisms FindMyPast
12. ↑ Register: Enfield/ All Saints, Edmonton/ 1679-1708 Ancestry Image
13. ↑ Burial: "London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812"
    London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P69/Dun1/A/001/Ms07857/003
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry au Record 1624 #6499314 (accessed 14 February 2023)
    Cot Edward Carter burial (died in about 1682) on 12 Nov 1682 in St Dunstan in the East, City of London, London, England.
14. ↑ "Will of Robert Carter PROB 11/162/94
15. ↑ "Gleanings from English Wills." Maryland historical magazine, Vol XXII, #3, September 1927. pp. 122-128. Wills
16. ↑ Will of Francis Carter, DD, rector of Cheriton. Dated 28 February 1643/4 when he was rector of Cheriton Hampshire, proved 18 January 1645/6. Ancestry transcript
17. ↑ London and Surrey, England, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1597-1921 Ancestry Transcript Ancestry Image
18. ↑ Register: St Martin Vintry/ City of London/ 1668-1721. Ancestry Transcript Ancestry Image
19. ↑ Waters, Henry F. [G]enealogical gleanings in England Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1901, 1670

• Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants," Vol. II: 1666-1695, Nell Marion Nugent
• https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I022691&tree=Tree1
• https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000717/html/am717--447.html

See also:

• The Ancestry of Benjamin Harrison ... Digitized by tine in 2010 with funding from Brigham Young University. Internet Archive (Page 87).

Acknowledgements

• 18 Jun 2014 GEDCOM import.by Jaqui Miller